Carebara laeviceps

Carebara laeviceps
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hymenoptera
Family:	Formicidae
Subfamily:	Myrmicinae
Tribe:	Crematogastrini
Genus:	Carebara
Species:	C. laeviceps
Binomial name
Carebara laeviceps Liu & Zhong, 2024

Little is known concerning the biology of Carebara laeviceps. The type material was collected in the grassland of Hanlin Village, Kaijiang City, Sichuan Province, China. The species nests underground and feeds on small invertebrates. Some major workers exhibit a swollen gaster, serving as a storage organ for reserves during foraging.

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  Liu, Z., Zhong, Y. et al. (2024), Figure 26. Carebara laeviceps, holotype (major worker). A, body in lateral view. B, body in dorsal view head in full-face view.
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  Liu, Z., Zhong, Y. et al. (2024), Figure 27. Carebara laeviceps, major worker under SEM (not holotype). A, head in lateral view. B, head n full-face view.
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  Liu, Z., Zhong, Y. et al. (2024), Figure 28. Carebara laeviceps, major worker under SEM (not holotype). A, mesosoma in lateral view. B, petiole in lateral view. C, postpetiole in lateral view.
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  Liu, Z., Zhong, Y. et al. (2024), Figure 29. Carebara laeviceps, paratype minor worker. A, body in lateral view. B, body in dorsal view. C, head in full-face view.
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  Liu, Z., Zhong, Y. et al. (2024), Figure 30. Carebara laeviceps, minor worker under SEM. Head in full-face view.
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  Liu, Z., Zhong, Y. et al. (2024), Figure 31. Carebara laeviceps, minor worker under SEM. A, body in lateral view. B, petiole in lateral view. C, postpetiole in lateral view.

Identification

Carebara laeviceps is most similar to Carebara lusciosa, Carebara bouvardi and Carebara rectangulata, but can be easily distinguished from these three species by combination of the following features:

• antenna 10-segemented (9-segmented in C. lusciosa, C. bouvardi and C. rectangulata)
• posterior margin of head without a transverse carina in major worker (with a transverse carina in C. rectangulata)
• lateral profile of head in major worker parallel in full face view (subparallel in C. lusciosa)
• katepisternum finely rugose-reticulate in major worker (smooth in C. lusciosa, punctured in C. rectangulata)
• ventral face of petiole moderately convex (straight in C. bouvardi and C. rectangulata)
• distinctly larger with TL ~ 2.8 mm (C. lusciosa: 2 mm, C. rectangulata: 2.41 mm, C. bouvardi: ~ 2.4 mm).

Keys including this Species

• Key to Carebara of China

Distribution

Distribution based on Regional Taxon Lists

Palaearctic Region: China (type locality).

Distribution based on AntMaps

Distribution based on AntWeb specimens

Check data from AntWeb

Countries Occupied

Number of countries occupied by this species based on AntWiki Regional Taxon Lists. In general, fewer countries occupied indicates a narrower range, while more countries indicates a more widespread species.

Estimated Abundance

Relative abundance based on number of AntMaps records per species (this species within the purple bar). Fewer records (to the left) indicates a less abundant/encountered species while more records (to the right) indicates more abundant/encountered species.

Nomenclature

The following information is derived from Barry Bolton's Online Catalogue of the Ants of the World.

• laeviceps. Carebara laeviceps Liu, Z., Zhong, et al. 2024: 17, figs. 26-31 (s.w.) CHINA (Sichuan).
  • Type-material: holotype major worker, 3 paratype major workers, 4 paratype minor workers.
  • Type-locality: holotype China: Sichuan Prov., Kaijiang County, Dazhou City, 31°12’24’’N, 107°55’43’’E, 1100 m., 27.vi.2022, A22-955 (G. Nie); paratypes with same data.
  • Type-depository: SFCY.
  • [Unresolved junior secondary homonym of Oligomyrmex (Hendecatella) capreolus subsp. laeviceps Wheeler, W.M. 1928c: 24.]
  • [Note: it is difficult to understand how this homonymy occurred because Liu, Z., Zhong, et al. 2024: 24, also cite the Wheeler, 1928 name and reference.]
  • Distribution: China.

Type Material

• Holotype. China: 1 major worker, Sichuan Province, Dazhou City, Kaijiang County, 31°12'24"N, 107°55'43"E, alt. 1100 m, 27.VI.2022, Gui-chuan Nie, SWFU A22-955 (SWFU).
• Paratypes. China: 3 major workers and 4 minor workers, same data as holotype, SWFU A22-955 (SWFU).

References

• Liu, Z., Zhong, Y., Huang, Y., Ran, H., Song, F. 2024. A new ant species of the genus Carebara Westwood, 1840 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) with a key to Chinese species. ZooKeys 1190, 1–37 (doi:10.3897/zookeys.1190.110552).